Reborn in 1981: My Life as a Fisherman

Parents all hope that their children will be safe and sound.

So, a day later, when Shi Hailong was discharged from the hospital and returned to his home in Lantau Village...

Not only did Shi's mother scold him, but Shi's father also told him not to fight anymore.

The people who fought were all fine; the coastal defense office didn't care about these matters.

That's true, these days a fight is nothing.

None of the people whose heads were cracked open by Shi Hailong asked him for any compensation.

This is not a matter for later generations; it is now considered a thing of the past.

Of course, we don't know what will happen when Shi Hailong goes to town in the future.

Shi Hailong was also at home, recovering from his injury, still looking like a pig's head.

However, his infamous reputation spread as he had hoped.

Many people know that the usually quiet second son of the Shi family is a ruthless person.

After five or six days of calm, the swelling on my face subsided.

With the pain subsiding, Shi Hailong finally left the house to visit the supply and marketing cooperative.

The village entrance is at the bend of the road where the supply and marketing cooperative is located.

Several ancient banyan trees, their roots intertwined, stand beneath a spot where villagers of all ages like to gather.

That is, the intelligence center of later generations.

For young people who go out to work in later generations, this is the place they least want to pass through on their way home.

The oppressive feeling of being watched by everyone was chilling.

At this moment, Shi Hailong already had this feeling; as soon as he approached, he felt everyone's gaze.

"Hailong, your face is still bruised. Are you feeling better?"

"Alright, alright, it's just a superficial injury..."

When someone asked Shi Hailong if he was ready, Shi Hailong responded with a smile.

He even took out cigarettes and handed them out to a few old men.

They chatted for a few more minutes, but he noticed that one of the women was giving him a hostile look.

He then remembered that the woman's name was Liu Gendi, Chen Yaogui's wife, who had married into the village from Xiaoyu.

In their past life, it seems that this woman played a role in bringing the eldest sister and Liu Defu together.

Judging from the appearance, this woman must be related to Liu Defu's family.

He seems hostile now, probably because he cracked Liu Defu's skull open.

It seems unlikely that he'll be trying to set his older sister up with anyone again.

It seems that all his previous efforts to matchmake his older sister and Yang Guangming were in vain.

However, it wasn't all for nothing.

After turning the corner, we arrived in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

There were also people sitting at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, mostly young people.

Shi Hailong glanced at the distant dock; there weren't many boats there.

It seems that none of the three groups of ships have returned from the sea.

After the household responsibility system was implemented, there wasn't much to do in the village, and many people were idle.

"Hailong, come here, have a cigarette..."

Chen Dabiao and several others were at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Zheng Shangang, Chen Shengqiang, and several other young men of similar age from the village.

Chen Dabiao's eyes lit up when he saw the cigarette in Shi Hailong's hand.

Shi Hailong walked over with a smile, took out a crumpled cigarette box, and handed one to everyone.

He gave it to them regardless of whether they smoked or not.

The men who fought that day all had bruises on their faces, but the swelling had gone down.

After a battle fought together, the relationships between the group seemed to have grown closer.

Next, he would sit on the stone at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative and start puffing on his cigarette and bragging.

The main focus was on the fight that day.

Shi Hailong didn't plan to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy anything. He originally wanted to start preparing to make fish traps.

But now he has to consider whether or not to make it public and let Zheng Shangang and Chen Dabiao know.

He knew Chen Dabiao's character well; he was unreliable.

It's okay to date, but not too close.

Zheng Shangang and Chen Shengqiang are both quite good.

Although he wasn't close to the two in his previous life, this fight changed everything.

It's clear that both of them are willing to go all out.

Judging from the extent of their injuries, he, Zheng Shangang, and Chen Shengqiang were the ones who suffered the most severe beatings.

Chen Dabiao only suffered minor, superficial injuries.

You can tell from the fight that Chen Dabiao is cunning.

Of course, none of that matters, since we're not partners anyway.

Shi Hailong took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled, listening to Chen Dabiao boast about the fight back then.

He decided in his heart that there was no need to keep the fish trap a secret.

Anyway, in a few years, they'll be everywhere, until they're eventually banned.

Because this thing is a deadly trap; anything can get in and easily get trapped.

Even if he manages to build it now, without a ship, he can only deploy it along the coast.

Besides, making wire mesh cages isn't cheap.

What people living by the sea lack most now are boats and money.

For decades, the production team had been operating as an individual household, and they no longer owned their own boats.

It will take several years for the number of small boats to gradually increase.

Moreover, the price of a small sampan is not cheap.

Buying a new ship is like building a brick house; that tells you how big an expense it is.

Of course, there are also old ships, but they will have to wait until the contracting group disbands.

At this time, the household responsibility system was still in the trial stage.

The policy is not yet certain.

The newspapers are still waving their arms around.

In many parts of mainland China, it will take another two years.

It is said to have started in 1978, but that only started in Xiaogang Village, in December of the end of 78.

That's why Lantau Village came into being. Although production was contracted to individual households, the materials for production still belonged to the collective.

This is also the origin of group contracting.

After figuring it out, Shi Hailong decided not to keep sneaking around anymore.

Those who are willing to spend money on fish traps should reap the rewards.

Besides, it would be too conspicuous for him to be the only one making money every day.

This is not a good thing.

"Hey, I'm telling you, now that the household responsibility system has been implemented, this kind of work day after day isn't a long-term solution."

I've been to the county town too; working in construction is really tough.

I felt it was better to go beachcombing, so I came back.

We don't have boats or nets for fishing, and we don't have guns for hunting, so we just go into the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs.

I don't know many of them.

Are you just going to farm some mountain land, go beachcombing, and collect clams, sand crabs, and sea snails?

At a few cents a pound, when will we be able to afford boats and guns?

I have an idea now, and I should be able to get the money.

However, it's not certain yet. I'll make it first and see how it goes. Once it's effective, you can decide what to do next...

Shi Hailong interrupted Chen Dabiao's boasting and said very seriously.

He simply didn't hide the cage net, partly to avoid drawing attention to himself.

As for whether these people follow or not, he won't care.

They certainly wouldn't engage in any partnerships.

When it comes to the distribution of profits, it's best for everyone to do their own thing.

Setting up a fish trap doesn't require any oxen or horses.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dabiao and the others became interested.

After they fought together, no one looked down on Shi Hailong anymore.

Unlike before, although they got along well, their relationship was just so-so, and no one took Shi Hailong seriously.

They're all young people, after all.

In addition, Shi Hailong is not a very outgoing person; he is a quiet and honest man.

Just like those few young people who are gathered here now and don't even deserve to be named.

"What methods can be used to make money?" Chen Dabiao asked Shi Hailong.

Everyone else was looking at Shi Hailong, who then smiled and said:

"I came up with a fishing mechanism that is an improvement on the rolling cage."

It will cost a lot of money to make it happen...

Upon hearing that there would be costs involved, and quite a bit at that, everyone immediately lost interest.

The key issue is that they really have no money; they can't even afford a pack of cigarettes that costs a penny.

Just like Shi Hailong before him, he would sell his catch of seafood and then hand it over to his parents.

Getting out again is almost impossible.

Parents will have a lot to say...

Shi Hailong also knew that once he made it and made money, people would naturally be willing to invest their own money.

Just like buying a ship later on, waiting for others to buy a ship and make a lot of money at sea.

Even if they don't have money, they'll try every possible way to buy a boat, even if they have to borrow money.

But only a few can afford a boat; even a small sampan will cost one or two thousand in a couple of years.

Zheng Shangang then said, "I'm going to the county brewery after the New Year. My dad has already made arrangements..."

Shi Hailong immediately said, "If we go, we'll only be temporary workers, and there are no permanent positions available."

In a year or two, the distillery might go out of business...

Shi Hailong couldn't bear to see Zheng Shangang waste his time. He thought that if they bought a boat and started fishing sooner, things wouldn't be too bad no matter what.

When the county started building a brewery, he naturally thought of it too.

In the following years, breweries sprang up like mushrooms after rain, as did tobacco factories.

He read in the newspapers in his previous life that in just the last few years, several hundred new breweries had been added in Fujian Province.

They're all off-brand, a waste of money.

He wasn't very clear about Zheng Shangang's trajectory in his previous life, but he knew that the guy wasn't doing much better than him.